I believe if your life is a lemon, make it a lemonade. Then go out and find someone whose life is a vodka and have a party. -- Unknown

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Viva Las Vegas!

Friday afternoon, Dr Pop and I were faced with the task of deciding where to go for dinner since we had the good fortune of Boy Pop's Nana taking him to see my grandmother for the weekend and we were at loose ends. I was really pushing for a "date" since it had been a while since we'd just gone out by ourselves for the express purpose of enjoying good food, good wine, and each other.

For the past year or more, every time Boy goes away for the weekend, we try to find some last-minute crazy thing to do. A last-minute getaway or the like, to be exact. And every time, we see the airfare cost and decide our money would be better-spent at a nice restaurant in town.

This time was no different in a lot of ways. But at around 2 or so on Friday, Dr Pop said, "Flights to Vegas aren't that bad..." And so the debate began again... We went back and forth, checked hotels, and talked to each other. At about 3:30PM on Friday, Dr Pop and I are talking and I was telling him that I'd be thrilled either way (dinner or Vegas) but that I really could not come up with a valid argument against going away for the weekend. No sooner had I finished my sentence when a flight confirmation email popped up in my inbox.

We were going to Vegas, baby!

I hurried home as soon as possible, we threw clothes and stuff in a bag, called our neighbor to watch our animals, and hit the road to the airport. I couldn't stop smiling!

There are so many stories to tell, so I'll give you some snippets...

Like how we ran into my brother and his friends (executives at the company where I work), who flew out on a private jet... Partying with that group in the VIP "bottle service" section of an exclusive night club... The $350 bottles of vodka and great view from the club at the top of our hotel... Chronicling the adventures of a bottle of vodka with the camera as we carried it around the casino into the wee hours of the morning... Spilling an entire Coors Light on the roulette table... Winning at craps and on the slots... Visiting a 1.6 million gallon aquarium and watching sharks swim overhead... A stingray "petting zoo" at the same aquarium... Bitching to the manager of the hotel and getting a $100 room service credit... Averaging four hours of sleep a night... Forgetting to bring any shoes that had a heel under 3"... Never having to go pull money out of the ATM (a Vegas FIRST!)... Witnessing what happens to flights when it rains a little in Las Vegas (they get delayed almost four hours!)... And all-around having one of the most fun times we've had in recent memory.